U.S. presidential nominee races resumed after Super Tuesday

Source: Xinhua | 02-10-2008 07:34

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. post-Super Tuesday presidential nominee races were resumed with five primaries and caucuses in four states held on Saturday.

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton arrives at a town hall meeting at West Central Community Center in Spokane,  Washington Feb. 8, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

After Super Tuesday when a total of 24 states and American Samoa held their primaries and caucuses, Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are expected to continue with their neck-and-neck competition.

They will contend in the Louisiana primaries and caucuses in Nebraska, Washington and Guam, which will award 161 delegates to the nomination convention proportionally to candidates based on their supporting rates.

John McCain, who has had only one step away from obtaining the Republican candidacy, will be challenged by the two remaining rivals, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, in the Louisiana primaries and caucuses in Kansas and Virgin Islands.

The two Democrats speeded up their campaign in the past two days in Washington. Clinton retained her advantage on the popularity among women by winning endorsement by two Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, while Obama won Governor Chris Gregoire's support.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) greets supporters outside the Bangor Auditorium during a campaign rally in Bangor, Maine Feb. 9, 2008.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

In Louisiana, a state which was badly-hit in the Hurricane Katrina, economy and health care are expected to be dominant issues.

The state also has a large population of African-American, who account for almost half of the voters and may give Obama a win.

On the Republican side, Arizona Senator McCain was seeking support from the party's conservative voters. On Friday, his campaign was greatly boosted by the endorsement of Fred Thompson, a former presidential candidate who dropped out the race last month.

However, former Arkansas governor Huckabee was "still standing" in the race and counting on evangelicals' support to sustain his candidacy viability.

Presidential candidate and Senator John McCain smiles while speaking at the American Conservative Union's  2008 Conservative Political Action Conference in  Washington, Feb. 7, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

He was endorsed Friday by James Dobson, founder of the influential Focus on the Family evangelical group.

The Time magazine showed in its latest poll that Obama could best take on McCain in a general election match-up.

According to the poll conducted before Super Tuesday, Obama could beat McCain by seven points, with a rate of 48 percent against 41 percent, while Clinton ties McCain at 46 points.

One of the reasons for Obama's advantage on McCain is his popularity among independent voters.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei